A woman in the Beaverton area is worried that speeding vehicles are endangering the safety of her legally blind son.

Correne Omland’s son Ashton is four years old, and while he does have functional vision for objects within five metres, Omland says his distance eyesight is quite poor, 20/250 with his glasses.

“This means that he cannot see the cars on the road until they are about 10 to 15 metres away and even then he describes them as big and blurry,” saidOmland of her son’s vision.

Correne and Ashton

When their family moved to Thorah Concession 6, their representative from the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) suggested they contact the Township of Brock about having a sign placed on the road, warning drivers that a child with low vision lives in the area.

The Township responded quickly and positively, Omland said, and two signs were soon placed on the road, visible from both directions.

Despite the signs and the speed limit of 50 kilometres per hour, Omland said they continue to have problems with dangerous driving on their road.

“We regularly see people drive down our street at speeds in excess of 100 kilometres per hour,” says the concerned mother.

“Just tonight, we watched a car drive by at more than 100 kilometres an hour while we were out as a family walking down the street. They couldn’t even be bothered to slow down for pedestrians or a small child,” she said Wednesday (May 31).

Ashton in front of a sign installed by the Township of Brock

Omland said she often sees the same cars repeatedly driving at high speeds and suspects many of the drivers live on the road in question.

“In addition to them we have large trucks and delivery trucks that frequently speed down our street. Even school buses,” said Omland.

“I have called the police on numerous occasions, as have my neighbours, but they can only come so often and do so much.”

Due to the speed of the vehicles, Omland said it’s nearly impossible to note plate numbers or descriptions of the drivers. Despite her efforts and those of her neighbours, the problem persists.

Having already requested the sign and called the police, Omland said she’s unsure of what else to do.

“I fear for the safety of my son. I fear for the safety of the many other children, pets and people that live on our street,” she said.